Phivolcs confirms phreatic eruption at Mt. Pinatubo

Nov 30, 2021 04:37 PM

A phreatic eruption was recorded at Mt. Pinatubo on Tuesday, Nov. 30, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) confirmed.

IP Camera snapshot from VPBO station in Villar, Botolan, Zambales, 12 kilometers northwest of Pinatubo Crater, of the steam-dominated whitish top of the eruption plume that rose above the cloud cover over the edifice a few minutes after the end of phreatic eruption (Phivolcs/ Twitter)

In an advisory, the Pinatubo Volcano Network recorded seismic and infrasound signals of a phreatic explosion at Mt. Pinatubo between 12:09 p.m and 12:13 p.m.

Phivolcs said the eruption was likely driven by shallow hydrothermal processes beneath the edifice.

No reports of ashfall from communities of Zambales over which the eruption plume dispersed have been reported yet as of press time.

The public is cautioned to refrain from venturing in the vicinities of Pinatubo Volcano at this time.

The agency also advised all government units to prohibit entry into Pinatubo Crater until the source of the above explosion event has been determined.

Phivolcs also advised communities and local government units surrounding the area to be vigilant for both earthquake and volcanic hazards.